Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 94 Special Salt? (Subscription Request)

Hua Lun sat on the chair.

Just watched Xia Zhibai leave.

a long time.

Hua Lun finally came to his senses.

He picked up the dried papers on the table.

He did not leave immediately. He took the large bowl of tea with a little salt in it and drank it sip by sip.

The tea is light, with a fresh fragrance.

Hua Lun looked down at the Kyoto Salt Shop which had closed.

After only two days of sales, the number of items on the counting board had increased from tens of thousands to as much as fifty thousand.

There were still quite a few people standing outside the store, pointing and talking at the count posted above. It was difficult to hear what they were talking about, but one could clearly see joy on their faces.

"Summer White"

"Are you really reckless? Are you willing to do anything?"

"Enlightening the people will bring about huge changes to the world, so huge that neither you nor I can predict it."

"If you are not careful, it will lead to disaster."

"Who can bear it, you or me?"

"I have a family and a promising career ahead of me. Why should I bet with you? What good will it do me if I win or lose?"

"Cultivation of one's character, order of family, governance of country, peace of the world."

"This is a matter for scholars!"

Hua Lun's words dissipated with the wind, and his figure also disappeared in the teahouse.

Kyoto Salt Factory.

Half a month later, things became lively.

After settling down here, many miners and cooks brought their families here. In addition to the people Xia Zhibai had secretly recruited from Shouzhou and Chuzhou, the area around the salt factory has now become a considerable residential area with a population of as many as three to four thousand.

Xia Zhibai also had a headache about how to accommodate these people.

His salt factory and coal mine do not need so many people. Even if they work day and night, they will not need more than three or four thousand people.

So many people need to open their mouths to eat.

Although Xia Zhibai was not responsible for the families of the cooks and miners and was paying for their resettlement, there were two or three thousand people who had no land and no source of income. They relied on Xia Zhibai for their food and clothing, and his operating costs had increased a lot invisibly.

Xia Zhibai also felt a headache.

Most of them are the elderly, the weak, women and children.

The workers are not needed in the short term and cannot do the heavy labor. Other work has already been arranged and there is no extra space.

Especially recently, many family members of salt workers have been saying privately that they used to be kitchen workers and could help the salt factory, and their work was better than that of many salt workers in the factory.

Salt Industry Office.

It's just a very simple wooden house.

Heiwa complained, "Brother Xia, someone just came to ask about working in the salt factory. He also said that he only needs Brother Xia to provide him with food. Recently, many people have come to ask about it. Many of them are family members of salt workers and miners. There was almost a quarrel at the salt factory yesterday."

"Brother Xia, you shouldn't have let these people come here in the first place. They are a complete mess of trouble."

"."

Heiwa recounted in detail what had happened at the salt factory recently.

He just has a feeling.

Brother Xia is too gentle to these people.

These people cannot be tolerated, as they are becoming more and more demanding day by day.

If it weren't for Brother Xia's kindness in helping, these people might have starved to death. How could they still be talking about this and that?
It’s time to hurry up.

Xia Zhibai listened carefully.

He was actually trying to think of a solution.

There are more than one person in the kitchen household, and he basically only hired men, which was equivalent to giving up the other half of the labor force.

The current production situation of the Kyoto salt industry basically means that these salt farmers cannot go back to make salt, which means that the livelihood of the entire family is now on the shoulders of the men. Over time, they will naturally complain and feel dissatisfied.

He led it all.

Naturally, you should solve it yourself.

He thought for a moment and said, "Heiwa, go and pass on the message for me. Ask them to select ten or so representatives from among the remaining people. I want to talk to them, inquire about the situation, and understand the circumstances. Then, I will make certain arrangements based on the situation."

Heiwa was somewhat reluctant.

He said in a depressed voice: "Brother Xia, you are too easy to talk to. You shouldn't have let these people in. Now there are so many people, and they need to eat and drink every day. It's a headache."

"I'm so fed up with it."

Xia Zhibai smiled and said, "That's how it is when there are too many people and too many gossips."

“But it’s not a bad thing.”

"If there is a problem, solve it."

"You can't expect me to really drive away these people's families, right?"

"It's easy to rush them, but if something happens to them on the road, it will be my fault. Besides, their families are right in front of them, so they will work harder and more attentively."

"But the trouble makers should be dealt with."

"Go and pass on the message first."

Heiwa sighed and went to pass on the message.

Xia Zhibai stood up, looked at the upright chimneys, and said in a cold voice: "There is no order without rules. After more than two months of barbaric operation, it is time to set some rules for the Jingdu Salt Industry and try to move towards formalization and institutionalization step by step."

"This model of operating a makeshift stage should come to an end."

Fengtian Temple. The summer solstice has passed.

After the summer, the weather becomes hotter and hotter.

Zhu Yuanzhang had too much political affairs to deal with and had little appetite.

Zhu Yuanzhang opened a memorial from Zhu Su, the Prince of Zhou in Kaifeng Prefecture.

More than two months ago, Zhu Su spoke up for Xia Zhibai, which completely angered Zhu Yuanzhang. He had people whip him severely and asked Zhu Su to write down all his contacts with Xia Zhibai and send them to him. The memorial was delivered more than two months ago.

There's not much surprising about it.

Xia Zhibai, whose courtesy name was Jimo, was from Kaifeng Prefecture.

During the college entrance examination, she caught the attention of Zhu Su because of her outstanding performance.

Zhu Su met him out of curiosity. Zhu Su was fond of medicine, and Xia Zhibai happened to know a little about it. The two hit it off immediately and had a lively chat. With a heart full of concern for the world and wanting to save all the people in the world, Xia Zhibai compiled the "Compendium of Materia Medica for Famine Relief" together with some officials from Kaifeng Prefecture.

It was also under the instigation of Xia Zhibai that Zhu Su, a prince, actually went to the deep mountains and forests to dig wild grass and eat wild vegetables.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw Zhu Su's complacent memorial, he was so angry that his nose almost became crooked.

If Zhu Biao had not stopped him, he would have wanted to have people whip Zhu Su dozens of times. What a bastard! He had worked so hard to conquer the empire just because he didn't want the descendants of the Zhu family to suffer, but Zhu Su was fooled and ran away happily.

He is still feeling complacent, as if he has made a great contribution.

This memorial is about high-yield rice.

Zhu Su didn't understand it either.

The only thing he knew was that Xia Zhibai asked Zhu Su to find high-yield rice seedlings everywhere, and then planted them together randomly, and finally he got the result.

Zhu Su is still studying the specific situation.

But there are some signs of progress.

Zhu Yuanzhang's brows relaxed slightly as he watched Zhu Su's eloquent description. He laughed and scolded, "This old man is not really as stupid as a pig. At least he knows how to use his brain and is not completely led by Xia Zhibai. The Herbal Medicine for Famine Relief is also quite useful. After being promoted by the court, it has also helped many disaster victims."

"How could our son really be such a loser?"

At this time, Park Gouer came in with a bowl of hot soup noodles and said, "Your Majesty, you haven't eaten for a day. His Highness specifically ordered the imperial chef to make you a bowl of noodles so that you can eat it while it's hot."

Zhu Yuanzhang put down the memorial and felt a little hungry.

He smiled and said, "Okay, since my sister died, only the old man feels sorry for me."

"Bring it up to us."

Pu Gou'er's face lit up with joy and he quickly brought the noodle soup over.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the noodles sprinkled with chopped green onions and his appetite was aroused. He took a big sip.

kindness?
Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed.

He looked at the noodles in front of him suspiciously. It was just an ordinary large bowl of wide noodles.

Why does the taste differ from before?

Seeing this, Park Gou'er's heart skipped a beat and he asked in panic, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"The salt tastes wrong." Zhu Yuanzhang put down his chopsticks.

He had been working in the fields since he was a child and was very sensitive to the daily necessities of life of the people. He could tell something was wrong after one bite.

He poured a pinch of salt onto the desk.

He prefers a stronger taste, so he specifically asked for more loose salt so that he could add it at any time.

Just one glance.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes fixed.

This salt is obviously much more shiny than the salt in the past.

Zhu Yuanzhang pinched it with his hands, then put it in his mouth, and his expression changed immediately.

"Good salt!" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but blurt out, then looked at Pu Gou'er and asked, "What's the matter with this salt?"

His sense is very intuitive.

This salt has fewer impurities, is not bitter or astringent, and has a smoother taste.

Very salty.

Pu Gou'er said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, this is the new salt purchased by the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office."

"New salt?" Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction and said, "Tell the Salt Transport Commissioner to buy this kind of salt in the future."

"This salt is good, salty enough."

Hearing that Zhu Yuanzhang was not blaming him, Pu Gou'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "I obey your order."

Looking at the new salt poured on the desk, Pu Gou'er hesitated for a moment, but still did not dare to hide it, and whispered: "Your Majesty, this new salt is actually made by Xia Zhibai."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes suddenly turned cold.

Pu Gou'er's forehead was covered with sweat, and he quickly added: "Your Majesty, this new salt is indeed made by Xia Zhibai, and the price is not low, one hundred coins per pound. It is said to be special salt. I have learned about it privately, and the details are not very clear, but it is said that there are a lot of dirty things in ordinary salt. Eating too much is not good for your health."

"This special salt has gone through various screenings and is very expensive."

“So the prices are surprisingly high.”

"Xia Zhibai knows that it is for us to eat?" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were gloomy.

Park Gou'er shook his head and said, "I definitely don't know. The palace will not reveal any specific information to the outside world when purchasing."

"As far as I know, many princes and ministers in the court have bought this kind of salt, and they all have good reviews. It is precisely because of the ministers' feedback that the Salt Transport Commissioner dared to purchase it."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"This salt is really good. It tastes good and salty."

"I'll be in this category from now on."

"But." Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have thought of something and said, "The palace will have to wait until next month to make purchases. We don't want to give Xia Zhibai more money in these ten days. We still want to see how capable he is and how much money he can make in these three months."

(End of this chapter)